Former Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan (No. 60 SafeAuto Chevrolet) will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway and in the process, become the first driver from India to compete in the Trucks.
Karthikeyan, who will make select events this season, made 19 starts in Formula 1 and joins the likes of Nelson Piquet Jr., Scott Speed, Jacques Villeneuve, Eliseo Salazar and Max Papis who have competed in both F1 and now, the Camping World Truck Series. He is running with newly-formed Starbeast Motorsports, and has Camping World Truck Series veteran Stacy Compton, sixth in points, as his driver coach.
“The opportunity to compete in a NASCAR series is a dream come true for me,” Karthikeyan said. “I have raced all over the world, but this is a different kind of challenge for me and I look forward to learning everything I can about racing in this environment. NASCAR is known for its passionate fans. I am excited to be introducing India to this sport and hope to help develop an equally passionate fan base there.
Team owner Miguel Abaroa said Karthikeyan is the center of Starbeast’s efforts to grow the sport in India.
“After his success in Formula 1, Narain has become one of India’s most popular athletes and the obvious choice to introduce NASCAR to the subcontinent,” Abaroa said.
Added Compton: “We have always had a desire to work with drivers to help with their transition into NASCAR.”
Of the aforementioned former F1 drivers, Speed seems to have had the most success. While he finished 27th in his first start, he was the only one of the former F1 drivers with a victory (2008, Dover International Speedway).
Wyler Racing is competing in its fifth full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after making its series debut in 2005. Auto Racing Daily
CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR 1 Dillon Oliver Chevrolet Koma Unwind Chillaxation Drink 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Tide / Kroger 3 Austin Dillon* Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet Monster Energy 5 Mike Skinner Toyota International Trucks / Monaco RV 6 D.J. Kennington Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing 7 Justin Lofton* Toyota VisitPIT.com 7 Tony Jackson Jr. Chevrolet ASI Limited 9 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb* Ford drivenmale.com / DriverBoutique.com 12 Mario Gosselin Chevrolet TireMonkey.com / James Carter Attorney 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Curb Records 14 Rick Crawford Ford Circle Bar Truck Corral 15 Johnny Benson Toyota Red Top Collector Car Auction 17 Timothy Peters Toyota Strutmasters.com 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Toyota Tundra 21 Chris Eggleston Chevrolet H2O Fire Protection 23 Jason White Dodge GunBroker.com 30 Todd Bodine Toyota Germain.com 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet Longhorn Smokeless Tobacco 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet S&W Services 46 Clay Greenfield Dodge Team Gill Racing 47 Brett Butler* Chevrolet Fuel-Doctor.com 48 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet The Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation 51 Aric Almirola Toyota AKawareness.com / Graceway Pharmaceuticals 52 Ken Schrader Chevrolet Federated Auto Parts 56 Tayler Malsam Toyota Toyota / One Eighty 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing 60 Narain Karthikeyan Chevrolet SafeAuto Ins, 76 Brian Johnson Jr. Ford Super Seal Construction Products 81 David Starr Toyota Randy Moss Motorsports 85 Brent Raymer Ford Ford. Drive one. 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet Australian Gold / Menards 89 Chris Lafferty Chevrolet Blue Ox / Lafferty Performance 93 Shane Sieg Chevrolet S&W Services 95 Lance Fenton Dodge Team Gill Racing 106 Dale Brackett Chevrolet Brackett Family Motorsports 182 Paddy Rodenbeck Chevrolet Green Hills Software 192 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet Fleet AO
| 
|